It wasn’t a long wait for some of my favorite Valheim mods to start working again after the 1.0 launch, and just as I expected, there were plenty of new fan-made features to tinker with. I’m still digging through the sea of new creations, but here’s a list of some of the best Valheim mods I’ve found so far—along with advice on your mod manager options.
Valheim mod managers and required mods
Gale Mod Manager or R2ModMan
“Which mod manager do I use?” is an eternal dilemma, but I’ve been using Gale to mod Valheim since it works with both Thunderstore and Hexium downloads. If you’re already using Thunderstore and don’t feel like swapping, that should be just fine for the one site, but I like that Gale is lightweight with extended compatibility.
Required Valheim mods
Most Valheim mods require BepInEx, while a ton of others require Jotunn, so you’ll absolutely need the first while the second is negotiable. I recommend installing both, then launching Valheim before adding more mods into the mix. This way you can get troubleshooting the basics out of the way—you know, those modding best practices we all totally follow. Download one, launch, and test.
- BepInExPack for Valheim | GitHub | Thunderstore
- Must be installed first
- Drag and drop everything inside BepInExPack_Valheim into your Valheim directory
- Example:
C:SteamLibrarysteamappscommonValheim
- Jotunn | GitHub | Thunderstore | Nexus
- Install after BepInEx
- Extract to your BepInEx plugins folder inside the same directory
- Example: C:SteamLibrarysteamappscommonValheimBepInExpluginsJotunn
Best gameplay mods
by Grantapher
ValheimPlus (Fork)
You could slot this under any category, so I’ll just kick the list off with Valheim Plus. It’s packed with options available as individual mods—some of which are covered in the list below—but most are toggleable if you don’t like the effect. Returning modders may be a little confused by Grantapher’s spin-off, but this is a community-sourced fix after the original modder stopped publishing updates, and widely accepted as the replacement mod.
📥Github | Thunderstore | Nexus | Hexium
by Warpalicious
More World Locations AIO
While I love Valheim’s randomized terrain and sporadic ruins, I do wish we had a little more variety sprinkled throughout the decay. This mod from Warpalicious goes above and beyond my most basic ask and adds a ton of goodies, including 188 custom locations, shipping ports, more NPCs, and random shrines that bestow buffs.
📥GitHub | Thunderstore
by DeathMonger
TheGreatestPortal
At first I loved the extra building task, but I’ve grown sick of making dedicated portal spaces that take up half my base. That’s where The Greatest Portal mod comes in, and it’s true to its name. Instead of building dozens of portals all over your base, you just need the one that provides a list of portals you’ve built all over the world.
📥GitHub | Thunderstore | Hexium
by Advize
PlantEverything
I’ve always wanted to plant things like berry bushes and mushrooms in Valheim, and Advize’s mod answers my prayers by adding those options to the cultivator. I don’t even care about the impact it may have on resource balance. I just want a cute little bush by my garden for the vibes.
📥GitHub | Thunderstore | Nexus
Best building and furniture mods
I can’t keep plants alive in real life, and I’m no better at it when playing Vikings. PlantEasily keeps me from killing my Valheim crops by providing a grid for perfect planting distance between veggies. I also love the option for random rotation that prevents my fields from developing that uncanny symmetry look. Ick.
📥Thunderstore | Nexus Mods
by Mathias Decrock
PlanBuild
This is hands down my favorite Valheim mod, and I’m relieved to see it well maintained and updated after 1.0. PlanBuild lets you construct base build blueprints without using any of the materials—blueprints that you can save, relocate, and build later.
📥GitHub | Thunderstore | Nexus
by TastyChickenLegs
Floors Stairs Ladders Are Roofs
I already used stairs and ladders as decorative roof pieces, but dreaded having to repair the ones left exposed to rain. This tweak eliminates the need to climb onto the roof and fix everything taking water damage.
📥Thunderstore | Nexus
by OdinPlus
OdinsFoodBarrels
I don’t go for a ton of custom furniture in Valheim, but I love these decorative barrels that make my Viking kitchens feel a little more distinct from the rest of my base build. Bonus points for being functional. I just wanted them as decor, but it’s nice to see they actually work.
📥Thunderstore | Hexium
Best quality-of-life mods
by Azumatt
AzuCraftyBoxes
One of my biggest gripes with Valheim is that you still can’t craft directly from chests in vanilla. What I like most about Azumatt’s mod solution is its ability to configure finer details, so I can limit certain items and not accidentally waste rare resources.
📥 Thunderstore | Hexium
by Goldenrevolver
Quick Stack Store Restock
Valheim’s quick stack is rather clunky, and I accidentally open and close chests while trying to merge hauls. This mod circumvents the messy vanilla process with one simple button for different commands like quick stack, restock, store all, and more.
📥Thunderstore | Nexus Mods
I appreciate Valheim’s build menu update in the 1.0 launch, but the crafting benches remain a mess. Workbenches Plus adds categories, an option to sort and filter, and keeps everything in order by biome.
📥GitHub | Thunderstore | Nexus
by MSchmoecker
MultiUserChest
There’s nothing more irritating than waiting in line for access to a chest, especially when multiple Vikings want a chance to dig through it. This mod reduces my urge to utter a passive-aggressive “are you done yet?” since multiple people can access one chest at a time.
📥GitHub | Thunderstore
Best visual tools and texture mods
I love building in first person and taking scenic screenshots, but that becomes a chore after toggling console commands on and off a few times. Azumatt’s camera mod is 1.0-ready, and after just a few sessions of doing things the good ol’ fashioned way, I’m more thankful for it than ever.
📥GitHub | Hexium
by ChampandChris
Enhanced Lighting
Vanilla Valheim’s lighting is gorgeous, but this mod offers more control and brightens areas that were once lost to darkness. I may actually know what the Swamp looks like now, and honestly, it’s worth it for that alone.
📥Nexus
by MommaMuffin
Valhalla ReShade HD
It’s not often I find a ReShade preset that satisfies me right out of the box, but this one looks fantastic. If you’re using a mod manager, you’ll need to install ReShade (official site) separately, but I swear it’s worth it for the visual flair. It’s also a toy you can take to other games, and probably my first go-to tweak when modding anything.
📥Nexus
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